2016 Election Resources

Searching for resources to teach your students about last night's third and final presidential debate? C-SPAN Classroom has streaming video of the entire debate, or the option to watch the debate in 13 segments.

Searching for resources to teach your students about last night's second presidential debate? C-SPAN Classroom has streaming video of the entire debate, or the option to watch the debate in 17 segments.

​Searching for resources to teach your students about last night's vice presidential debate? C-SPAN Classroom has streaming video of the entire debate, or the option to watch the debate in 10 segments.

Tune into C-SPAN next Monday, September 26 for the first presidential debate of the 2016 general election to be held at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. The debate will start at 9:00pm ETwith our preview program beginning at 7:30pm ET.The debate will be divided into six segments of 15 minutes each. Each segment will start with a question from moderator Lester Holt, anchor of NBC Nightly News, after which each candidate will have two minutes for an initial response and then will be allowed to respond directly to each other. The Commission on Presidential Debates has announced that tentative topics for the debate are "America's direction," "achieving prosperity," and "securing America."Use our lesson linked below to compare and contrast Monday's debate with past presidential debates and have your students take notes using the provided worksheets and handouts.

C-SPAN will LIVE stream our coverage of the debate here. C-SPAN also archives all of our programming for you and your students to stream at any time, with links to our debate coverage to be featured on C-SPAN Classroom early Tuesday morning.Are your students wondering why Libertarian Candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party candidate Jill Stein aren't participating in the debate? Use our lesson on third party candidates and presidential debates:

On Monday morning, Northeastern University's Alan Schroeder previewed last night's debate and talked about the history of presidential debates and what effect they have had on election outcomes, including famous and pivotal exchanges between candidates.

As the presidential primary season progresses and we move toward the conventions this summer, C-SPAN Classroom continues to update our Campaign 2016 educational resources. These resources provide explanations of the various aspects of the election process for candidates vying to become the next President of the United States. Separated into 10 main areas, each topic is supplemented with related video clips, discussion questions, handouts, and culminating activities to engage your students in the election process.Our most recent updates feature clips on the views of millennials on campaign and policy issues, the delegate selection process, media coverage and campaign ads, and election reforms. You can access all of our free campaign resources on our Campaign 2016 website.New Campaign Clips:

Is the Delegate Selection Process Fair? (6:42) A look at the controversy over the delegate selection process as well as the Democratic and Republican Parties' nominating rules in the 2016 presidential election. A clip of Donald Trump and RNC Chair Reince Preibus discussing their views of the process was included.

Electoral Reform and Campaign 2016 (5:43) Krist Novoselic talked about his work as chair of FairVote, an organization that advocates for a variety of electoral reforms. Topics included proportional representation, ranked choice voting, reforming the Electoral College, and partisanship in government.

Pop Politics (6:26) Mark Warren talked about a piece in the April 2016 edition of Esquire Magazine titled "The Inevitable Takeover of Pop Politics," which argues that the line dividing politics and entertainment has become blurred.

Democratic Presidential Campaign Ads (1:11) Political ads for the 2016 Democratic presidential nomination campaigns of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) were shown. The ads were released in New York ahead of that state's April 19, 2016, primary elections.

The History of the Democratic Process (7:40)Akhil Reed Amar and Richard Pildes talked about the evolution of the democratic process, the reasons for the creation of the Electoral College, and the establishment of a bipartisan system and political parties in the United States.

This Saturday, C-SPAN will cover the 2016 White House Correspondents' Dinner featuring guest red carpet arrivals, interviews on preparations for the event, as well as remarks by President Obama and The Nightly Show's Larry Wilmore. Coverage begins at 6:00 PM EDT. For additional information and resources, visit C-SPAN's White House Correspondents Association Dinner website.Below are videos for you to share with your students of President Obama's remarks from the previous seven dinners, as well as highlights from the final appearances of former presidents Ronald Reagan through George W. Bush.

15th Anniversary of 9/11:“Freedom in the Balance” uses the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001, to examine the fragile balance between protecting public safety and protecting First Amendment freedoms – our cornerstone rights of religious liberty, free expression and political action. Your students will explore how this debate has evolved from friction among Founding Fathers to cybersecurity standoffs.Presidential Elections:“Election 2016: Stumped!?” provides an easy-access path to engage students who might be baffled by the media mayhem and roaring rhetoric of this presidential race. Eleven case studies connect current events to historical milestones and provide a safe launching pad for having informed discussion and debate.Want more tips on teaching about the election?

If you’re in the D.C. Metro area, attend our free Teacher Open House on Oct.1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with over 30 classes, workshops and gallery tours. Register in advance and be entered into a drawing for a $250 certificate to The Source, Wolfgang Puck's famous restaurant adjacent to the Newseum.

Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns about navigating NewseumED.